A roundup of news on sporting events, people and places in Southeast Michigan by columnist Jim Evans.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Kicking off another high school football season

No
offense to all the other high school sports.

I
enjoy every one of them.

But
there’s something almost magical about football and Friday nights.

The
lights that rise above the stadium, making navigation easy enough even if
you’ve never been to that particular field before.

I’ve
driven out to rural areas where not even GPS can penetrate the desolation; small
towns where gas stations simply pump gas and not sell submarine sandwiches and birthday cards; and
diners where waitresses refill your coffee cup long before it is even necessary.

There
will be nothing but empty fields and farmhouses for miles, but the glow that is
created by the lights embroidering the high school football field make it easy
to locate.

Roll
the car window down, even on a frosty night, and you can hear the marching band
warming up. The trumpet section and the drum line puff their chests out until
someone cries “Uncle!”